Jose Seijas, former master blender for Altadis' Tabacelra de Garcia operation, is out on his own and apparently clear of whatever non-compete he may or may not have signed. His first new cigar is this, the Matilde Renacer.

Backing up for just a moment, Seijas oversaw a huge operation in his previous role. A press release announcing the Matilde launch stated production at approximately 55 million cigars a year. Obviously the man is experienced. But he was also responsible for churning out lots and lots of fairly ordinary, bread and butter type product. Naturally we're always excited when a guy like this goes rogue and gets to focus only on the cigars he's passionate to produce.

We got our hands on the corona, which suits us just fine. It's a chunky 5.5" x 44 and it looks great. The medium brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is lush and chocolatey—not too oily, nicely satiny. It looks delicious. As fans of very carefully applied triple caps, the lack of one here was a let down but we realize we are in the minority here.

The blend consists of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers over a Dominican binder. Other sizes in the line include a 5.25 x 54 robusto, a 6.5 x 54 toro and the obligatory 6 x 60 which we will, as per usual, pretend does not even exist.

The corona seemed to have a very slightly tight draw—perhaps intentionally so. This slight resistance will help keep inattentive smokers from puffing too enthusiastically, which might turn a hearty blend like this into something harsh.

The first impression was of an abundance of strong Dominican tobacco in the form of a distinct leather note we've experienced before, most notably in the Mi Dominicana puro he blended during his days with Altadis. We would describe it in very specific terms as shoe leather. Even more specifically, in this case, it reminds us of brand new, very expensive shoes straight out of the box. It's very smooth, somewhat processed, and altogether different from other notably leathery cigars like Fuente's Opus X.

In fact, if you asked us to sum up this cigar in a single phrase, we'd call it Opus X Lite. It's an engaging yet easygoing smoke that's fully aged and ready to smoke right now. Along with that hearty backbone of leather comes a dry, syrupy sweetness offset by faint pepper and gingersnap. Certainly this is not a mild cigar but neither is it a powerhouse.

This is one of those cigars that we think may have a selective appeal. It's too distinctive for a casual golf course smoker, but it's not quite bold enough to get hardcore cigar nerds excited either. At $7.50, it's certainly a good value given the obvious care taken in its blending and manufacture. That said, we would more often tend to reach for the Oliva Serie V No. 4 or La Palina El Diario KB when in search of a corona or petit corona.

Personal preferences aside, it's tough to fault this first release from Matilde. We might wish for a teeny bit more open draw, and a more artfully applied cap that lives up to the cigar's otherwise excellent appearance. Otherwise, we think this is an excellent choice for smokers who want a distinctive and tastefully blended cigar that's interesting but not overwhelming. And it's a long smoke too for a corona—over an hour.

THE VERDICT

How could any cigar manufacturer—let alone a huge one like Altadis USA—miss with a cigar like this? Classy bands. Beautiful presentation. Nice, oily wrappers. And, of course, a brand name as storied as Trinidad. Impossible, right?

Well, leave it to the company that brought you Royal Jamaica Gold to let one of the best smokes they've yet created languish and die. That's right, the cigar you're about to read about is already discontinued. Meanwhile, the acrid log known as Las Cabrillas lives on, along with Omar Ortiz Originals, Casa de Garcia and a handful of other middling brands. Sigh.

Trinidad Habana Reserve was an attempt to bring the Trinidad brand down to the mid-price level, around $6 each or so. It was so successful that, in our view, it easily eclipsed the original Trinidad brand that sold for around $10 each. Made at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras, the recipe is immediately appealing. It consists of an alluringly dark, oily Ecuadorian wrapper over a rich blend of fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras, bound with a stout leaf from Nicaragua.

Even better, the range of sizes seems hand-selected for the connoisseur. Coronas? Check! And not just one, but two: both 44 ring gauges, one five inches in length and a shorter one at just over four inches. Lancero? Check! It's the traditional 7.5 inches long, but rather than a 38 ring gauge, this one is a slightly stouter 40 which probably suits the blend better. There's also a beautifully made belicoso, a thick toro, a duo of fat short robustos and a churchill. That churchill, at 7 inches by 54, was the only vitola that we had any issues with. Like other Altadis cigars in that size, we noticed a slightly tight draw. It's perplexing considering how exemplary the construction of their torpedos and belicosos are, especially since those are much more difficult to roll. Or perhaps it's just too damn thick for its length. Either way, it's not our cup of tea.

This is not a very complex cigar. What it is, however, is smooth, rich and luxurious—did somebody say Davidoff Nicaragua for 1/3rd the price? Yep, we just did. Take that, Oettinger Davidoff AG! (Just kidding. Straight out of the box, Davidoff Nicaragua is still the smoother smoke. But with some age on the Trini? Hmmmmm...)

The overall characteristics were a balance of ever-so-slightly sweet earth, spice and nuts. True, that doesn't sound exceptional, but it's the way this cigar smokes that makes all the difference. The smoke is rich yet silky, and very mouth filling. It coats the palate like a cafe au lait. Altadis calls this a full-bodied cigar, but it is far richer than it is strong. This would be as good a decadent midday cigar as it is after dinner.

The thicker sizes tend to be more laid back, with a slightly creamy, even buttery thing going. The thinner the vitola, the more intense the flavor. The lanceros and coronas tend to have a more concentrated earthiness, while the more complex spiciness in the larger sizes is distilled down to a more straightforward black pepper.

With the exception of the unnecessarily thick churchill, the burn and draw on these was very good. Precious few touchups were required, and the grayish ash held firm for longer than average without any untoward flakiness. You don't have to be afraid to wear dark colors when you're smoking one of these.

Unfortunately, most retailers are out of stock on these. We were lucky to hoard a bunch before our local tobacconist ran out. As of May 2014, Mike's Cigars had a few left in stock, as did Famous Smoke Shop. Are these worth seeking out? We think so—especially if you happen to see them at closeout prices. We're sad to see them go.